\ 


ABSTRACTS 


OF  THE 


METEOROLOGY  OF  1874 


k 


w.\ 


C0NDEN8ED  FROM  THE  RECORDS  OF  THE 


Kansas  State  Agricultural  College, 


HY 


Prof.  WM.  K.  KEDZIE 


M A N H ATT  A X , K A NS  A S : 

PRINTED  AT  Till:  OFFICE  OF  THE  NATIONALIST  ; 


1§W. 


IMIeteoT'ology  of  1874. 


To  the  mind  of  the  Kansas  student  there  is  perhaps  no  more 
fascinating,  and  certainly  no  more  difficult  problem  than  that 
which  is  afforded  him  in  the  meteorological  phenomena  of  our 
State.  To  determine  even  an  approximation  to  the  laws  which 
govern  the  manifestations  of  these  phenomena  is  a task  beset  with 
most  complex  difficulties.  The  ranges  or  extreme  limits,  both  of 
barometric  pressure  and  rain  deposit,  are,  as  the  most  casual  ob- 
server must  have  noted,  immense.  Our  ranges  of  temperature  are 
also  frequently  quite  startling,  though  by  no  means  so  great  as  in 
many  eastern  localities  in  higher  latitudes.  Indeed,  it  would  seem 
as  if,  in  many  respects,  an  unwonted  freedom  were  allowed  in  the 
display  of  these  fundamental  phenomena  which  make  up  a State’s 
climatology.  There  is  perhaps  a no  more  unique  experience  than 
that  which  is  in  store  for  every  observer  who  comes  among  us 
with  ideas  adjusted  to  the  well  regulated  meteorology  of  many  of 
our  eastern  States.  Barometrical  indications  which  long  experi 
ence  had  taught  him  to  regard  as  perfectly  infallible,  he  here  finds 
to  be  quite  the  reverse ; and  through  many  startling  experiences 
he  awakens  to  the  fact  that  effects  which  he  had  heretofore  re- 
garded as  following  primary  causes  in  quite  simple  relations, 
are  hero  so  modified  in  their  nature  by  contingent  or  secondary 
causes  that  the  problem  becomes  complex  and  intricate  in  the 
extreme. 

All  these  things  teach  us  the  absolute  importance  of  accurate, 
extended  and  long  continued  observation  of  these  meteorological 
phenomena  of  our  state.  A wide  variation  is  offered  in  the  climat- 
ology of  the  extreme  western  and  eastern  portions  of  Kansas. 
Especially  is  this  true  of  temperature  and  rain  deposit;  the  total 
amount  of  the  latter  upon  our  western  border  being,,  in  all  proba- 
bility, barely  half  that  received  by  the  eastern  counties.  Kansas 
has  already  unnecessarily  suffered  in  her  good  reputation  for 
veracity  by  the  persistent  misstatement  of  these  matters  to  our 
Eastern  friends  and  patrons.  The  records  of  the  rain  deposit  of 


i 


4 


the  meteorological  stations  at  Leavenworth  and  Lawrence  are 
beyond  doubt  accurate  and  trustworthy  in  themselves.  But  when 
these  records  are  proffered  to  Eastern  inquirers  as  typical  exam- 
ples of  the  “ average  rain  deposit  of  Kansas,”  nothing  but  harm 
can  result  from  the  false  and  injurious  inferences  which  would  natr 
urally  follow.  The  abundant  advantages  which  Kansas  offers  to 
the  farmer  and  horticulturist  alike,  both  in  soil  and  climate  are  so 
well  attested  throughout  the  nation  that  nothing  can  be  added  to 
her  good  name  by  ambitious  exaggeration,  nor  by  the  persistent 
substitution  of  half  truths  for  whole  ones.  Until  an  abundance 
of  reliable  data  from  all  portions  of  the  State  has  been  accumu- 
lated, in  the  form  of  carefully  prepared  records  of  many  years  of 
patient  observation,  it  wilt  be  folly  for  us  who  are  interested  m the 
solution  of  this  problem,  as  a matter  of  scientific  interest,  to 
attempt  any  hypotheses.  The  ludicrous  failures  which  have 
already  followed  such  attempts  on  the  part  of  certain  pseudo-sci- 
entists, should  prove  an  ample  caution.  It  will  be  many  years 
befere  we  may  hope  to  obtain  a knowledge  of  the  laws  governing 
our  own  climatology  which  shall  at  all  approximate  in  fullness  and 
accuracy  that  which  we  already  possess  of  the  meteorology  of 
many  European  territories,  or  even  of  many  Eastern  localities  o 
our  own  continent.  Our  work  and  duty,  for  many  years  to  come, 
is  patiently  to  observe  and  faithfully  to  record  the  results  of  these 
observations.  It  is  only  upon  a sure  foundation  of  such  accumu- 
lated data  that  we  may  safely  attempt  any  deductions  or  hazard 
any  probabilities.  It  is  to  this  end  that  the  following  abstracts  of 
the  meteorology  of  1874  as  compared  with  the  fifteen  preceding 
years  aro  here  included  in  compact  tabular  form,  convenient  tor 
reference  and  for  comparison. 

The  season  of  1874  will  be  long  memorable  in  the  minds  of  the 
farmers  and  fruit  growers  of  Kansas  as  a year  of  unprecedented 
disaster  As  a year  of  drouth  and  excessive  temperature  it  is  only 
surpassed  by  the  memorable  season  of  1860.  But  the  drouth  itself 
was  by  no  means  so  disastrous  in  its  effects  as  in  many  localities 
east  of  the  Mississippi.  And  the  insect  ravages  which  immediately: 
succeeded  it  were  matters  of  so  much  more  serious  importance 
that  the  anxieties  occasioned  by  the  first  disaster  wore  overshad- 
owed by  the  magnitude  of  the  latter.  The  meteorological  rec- 
ords of  the  State  Agricultural  College  extend  through  a period  of 


sixteen  years,  from  1859  to  1874,  inclusive.  It  is  only,  however, 
since  September  1st,  1873  that  well  authenticated  observations  of 
the  hygrometer  have  been  recorded.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  the 
estimates  of  relative  humidity  and  of  the  force  or  pressure  of 
vapor  in  inches  are  purposely  omitted — as  these  are  interesting 
and  valuable  only  when  capable  of  comparison  through  a period 
of  years.  In  the  following  table  will  he  found  an  abstract  of  the 
more  important  portions  of  the  records  for  the  past  year  1874  at 
tnis  station — giving , by  months , maximum  and  minimum  temperatures, 
with  dates ; average  temperature  of  months;  maximum,  minimum  and 
mean  of  barometrical  records;  per  cent,  of  cloudiness ; rain  or  melted 
snow,  in  inches ; snow : number  of  stormy  days ; and  average  of  cold- 
est or  warmest  day  of  month,  as  indicated  in  the  last  column  by  the  let- 
ters C or  W 


6 


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Warmest  Bay 

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Snow  in  inches 

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Rain  or 
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Minimum 
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Maximum 
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Average 
Temperature . . 

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Minimum 
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Maximum 
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7 


Erom  the  above  table  it  will  be  seen  that  the  average  tempera- 
ture of  the  entire  year  of  1874  is  53°42  which  is  just  °02  below  the 
average  annual  temperature  of  this  section  for  the  past  fourteen 
years.  The  maximum  temperature  of  the  year,  it  will  be  seen, 
was  July  25th,  110°:  minimum  temperature,  January  23d,  —6°. 
The  range  of  temperature  for  the  year  is,  therefore,  116°.  Warm- 
est day,  also  upon  July  25th,  when  the  average  temperature  was 
96°f.  Maximum  barometer,  29.44  inches  : Minimum  barometer, 
27.97  inches;  Eange  of  barometer,  1.47  inches.  Average  pei 
cent,  of  cloudiness  47.  Total  rain  and  melted  snow  for  tho  year, 
18.66  inches,  which  is  8.92  inches  below  the  average  rain  fall  at 
this  station  for  the  past  fourteen  years.  Total  amount  of  snow 
35f  inches. 

In  the  following  table,  is  presented  the  characteristics  of  the 
meteorology  of  1874  by  seasons.  In  this  is,  of  course,  included, 
as  a part  of  the  winter  season,  the  month  of  December  1873.  In 
this  table  is  given  the  average  temperature  of  each  season;  maximum 
and  minimum  temperatures ; mean  barometer ; snow  fall ; rain  and 
melted  snow , in  inches ; number  of  stormy  days. 


SEASONS. 

Average 
Temperature . . 

Maximum 
Temperature ..  | 

Minimum 
Temperature .. 

Mean  Barom- 
eter  

Snow 

Bain  or  Melt- 
ed Snow,  in 
inches 

Winter  . 

27v41 

65° 

—6° 

28.74 

25  J 

3.37 

Spring 

51°47 

93° 

18° 

28.73 

4.68 

Summer  .. 

79°94 

110« 

47° 

28.741 

4.74 

Autumn  ... 

53c92 

98° 

3° 

28.77! 

m 

6.87 

Op  L 

3? 

L c*> 

Co 


23 

20 

14 

20 


In  the  following  table  is  presented  the  average  temperature  by  months, 
as  recorded  at  this  station  for  a period  of  fourteen  years.  The  records 

of  the  years  1865-6  being  unavoidably  imperfect  are  here  intentionally 
omitted. 


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9 


From  the  foregoing  table  it  will  be  seen  that  the  highest 
age  temperature  was  for  *w«h>j-1860-88o78  ; that  the  lowe 
average  temperature  was  for  January  1862— 18°23. 


aver- 
►west  y . 


The  following  table  presents  the  average  temperature  of  each  month 
for  the  past  fourteen  years  : 


January  .. 
February  . 

March 

April 

May 

June  t 

July 

August 

September 

October 

November 

December.. 


months. 


>1  S 


. 25°62 
. 31°39 
41°52 
52°73 
65°95 
74°87 
80°34 
77°83 
67°71 
53°13 
40°17 
29°16 


2 


In  the  following  table  is  included  the  average  annual  temperature  of 
fourteen  years , with  the  amount  above  or  below  the  average  for  the  whole 
period  53c44,  as  indicated  by  the  plus  or  minus  signs. 


YEARS. 

Mean 

Temperature. 

Above  or  be- 
low average 
for  14  Years. 

1874 

53°42 

— °02 

1873 

52°14 

— 1°30 

1872  

52°86 

— °58 

1871  

54°89 

-M°45 

1870  

54°19 

-i-075 

1869 

49°44 

— 4°00 

1868  

51°76 

— 1°68 

1867 

52°16 

— 1°28 

1864  

52°08 

— 1°36 

1863 

55°39 

-n°95 

1862  

52°99 

•— c45 

1861  

55°04 

-+-1°60 

1860 

57°01 

H~3°57 

1859 

54°83 

-M°39 

By  the  above  table  it  will  be  seen  that  the  warmest  season  was 
that  of  1860,  presenting  an  annual  temperature  of  3°57  above  the 
average:  that  the  coldest  season  was  that  of  1869,  presenting  an 
annual  average  temperature  4°  below  the  average. 


11 


In  the  following  table  is  included  the  amount  of  rain  and  melted 


zars  1865 

1859 

-6. 

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1860 

in^OMoocjCiOirtcqooo 
OOOOHHCOOOCC^iOiO 
* i-i  " " rH  ©q*  ©q‘  CO  ’ 'r-i 

1861 

iOOOOCOOOOC5CO©q©0 

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1_ < i a(?Q  CO  00  CO  r-i  OO  ©a  "r-i 

1862 

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1863 

I gOO<NCOiOCOHCOOCOI> 

CO  CO  © rH  rH  05  iq  N N iMM  H 

^ ci  co  id  rji  cd  ‘ ©q  ©q  ©q‘ 

1864 

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r-i  ©q  r-i  ©q  ©q  CO*  rH*  ©q*  ' r-i 

1867 

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1869  j 

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1870  j 

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1871  j 

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1872  | 

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From  the  above  table  it  will  be  seen  that  the  greatest  rainfall  of 
iy  month  was  for  May  1859—9.42  inches. 


12 


The  following  table  gives  the  average  amount  of  rain  and  melted 
snow  for  each  month  for  a period  of  fourteen  years : 


MONTHS. 

Average  Rain 

and  melted 
Snow 

January  

.69 

February  

.98 

IVT  n rc,h  

.86 

April  

2.45 

M ay  

4.03 

June  

4,17 

J u 1 v 

4.35 

A uffust 

3.22 

September 

3.36 

October  

1.79 

November  

1.28 

December 

.94 

13 


In  the  following  table  is  presented  the  total  amount  of  rain  and 
melted  snow  for  each  of  the  fourteen  years , with  the  amount  above  or 
below  the  average  for  this  period,  27.62  inches,  as  indicated  by  the  plus 
or  minus  signs : 


1874, 

3873, 

1872. 

1871, 

1870, 

1869, 

1868, 

1867, 

1864 

1863 

1862 

1861 

1860, 

1859. 


18.66 

32.89 

35.78 

28.86 

21.19 
28.22 
24.12 
26.50 
20.25 
39.43 

26.20 
34.56 
13.72 
36.23 


Cs* 

o 

o 

o 

- *>$ 

o 

"2 

O- 

o 

Cb 

o' 

§ 

—8.92 
-*-5.27 
-*-8.16 
-*”1.24 
— 6.43 
-*-.60 
—3.50 
—1.12 
—7.37 
-*-11.81 
—1.42 
-*-6.94 
—13.90 
-*-  8.61 


From  the  above  table  it  will  be  seen  that  the  heaviest  rainfall 
was  for  the  year  186$  when  it  was  11.81  inches  above  the  average  • 
that  the  lowest  amount  was  for  the  year  1860,  when  it  was  13  90 
below  the  average. 


Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  three 
period  are  those  of  1874-70-60. 


years  of  drouth  for  this 


14 


In  the  following  table  are  compared  with  the  average  the  maximum 
temperature , average  temperature , and  rainfall  for  these  three  years. 


YEARS. 

Maximum 

Temperature.. 

Average 

Temperature.. 

Rain  and 
Melted  Snow. 

1874 

110* 

53°42 

18.66 

1870 

100° 

54c19 

21.19 

1860 

115® 

57°01 

13.72 

Average 

53°44 

27.62 

From  the  above  table  it  will  be  seen  that  the  year  1860  was  by 
far  the  most  severe  and  disastrous,  both  in  its  excessive  drouth 
and  heat.  It  will  be  noticed  that  these  three  years  present  very 
marked  and  essential  differences  in  their  characters.  This  diver- 
sity is  still  more  strongly  exhibited  in  the  following  table,  giving 
the  rainfall  for  the  five  most  important  months  for  the  years  1874-70-60, 
as  compared  with  the  average  for  these  months : 


MONTHS. 

1874 

1870 

1860 

Average . . . 

April 

1.40 

.50 

.12 

2.45 

May 

2.98 

1.13 

4.03 

June 

4.31 

.79 

2.69 

4.17 

July 

.18 

2.98 

2.09 

4.35 

August 

.25 

5.21 

3.00 

3.22 

The  above  table  will  thus,  to  a good  extent,  account  foi>the  wide 
difference  in  the  essential  characters  of  the  years  1874  and  1860. 
That  not  only  was  the  drouth  of  1860  by  very  far  the  most  severe, 
presenting  hardly  one-half  the  average  rainfall,  but  that  it  pre- 
vailed with  especial  severity  during  the  three  very  important 


15 


months  of  April,  May  and  June,  thus  cutting  off  all  crops  for  the 
entire  year;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  during  the  past  season  of 
1874,  the  rain  deposit  for  these  three  important  months  was  rea- 
sonably abundant,  the  drouth  not  commencing  until  toward  the 
latter  part  of  June  and  continuing  with  the  greatest  severity  dur- 
ing the  months  of  July,  August,  and  a portion  of  September. 
While  corn,  the  staple  crop  of  the  State,  was  thus  almost  wholly 
Lmt  off,  wheat  and  other  small  grains  reached  a vigorous  maturity. 


